SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #17 - Ruined (2009, New York City Center Stage I, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York, NY)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. It wasn't until the second act of
Lynn Nottage's devastatingly exceptional
Ruined that we learned the Congolese people's secret for surviving recurring civil wars. According to one central character, they must simply pretend to ignore the inhumanity all around them. But
Ruined was much too excellent to ignore as its Pulitzer Prize underscored.
What Nottage and director
Kate Whoriskey achieved with this heartstopping production was nothing short of monumental. They skillfully succeeded in placing many a human face on those who are grossly dehumanized even if it ranks as one of the most difficult plays I ever sat through.
Nottage created some of the year's most remarkable female roles, including a madame named Mama Nadi (a superb
Portia) whose brothel doors are open to military officials and rebels alike. Nottage endowed each of her central characters with a breathtaking resilience, and a surprising degree of good humor. Ultimately, they demonstrated grace and resolve in their desperate attempts to rise above it all.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Kate Whoriskey, Lynn Nottage, Off-Broadway, Play, Portia, Pulitzer Prize, Ruined, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties
An August AwardIt's
official!
Tracy Letts' breath-takingly brilliant
August: Osage County has earned one of the single most distinguished awards any theatrical work possibly can: the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Other finalists included
David Henry Hwang's
Yellow Face and
Christopher Shinn's
Dying City.
Jurors for this year's Pulitzer Prize for Drama included last year's recipient
David Lindsay-Abaire (who won for his
Rabbit Hole),
The Washington Post theatre critic Peter Marks,
New York magazine drama critic Jeremy McCarter,
The Los Angeles Times' theatre critic Charles McNulty and
Chicago Playworks for Young Audiences Artistic Director Lisa Portes.
From the moment
I first experienced this amazing theatrical work last August in Chicago, I knew I was witnessing extraordinary stage history being made. I even indicated then that I had a hunch a Pulitzer might be in its future.
I could not be more excited for the entire cast and crew, along with the fine folks at
Steppenwolf, but I'm especially thrilled for Tracy Letts -- I only wish his father
Dennis had been able to see his son honored by this well-deserved award. He surely would have been incredibly proud.
Hearty congratulations!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Today's The Day ... Or Maybe Not (April 7, 2008)
Producer's Perspective Is Sneak Peek (March 24, 2008)
Fantasy Casting Calls (February 26, 2008)
Dennis Letts - RIP (February 24, 2008)
August: Osage County (The SOB Revisit) (February 20, 2008)
August: Osage County Will Extend Again, Moving To Music Box (February 15, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Hot, Hot, Hot August Just Got Longer (January 14, 2008)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #1: Deanna Dunagan (December 31, 2007)
SOB's 7 Singular Sensations Of '07 - #3: Amy Morton (December 29, 2007)
ModFab: The Jury Is In (December 28, 2007)
August: Best Time Of The Year (December 15, 2007)
Sorkin "No Tracy Letts" (December 14, 2007)
More Than One Critic Letts August Esteem Show (December 5, 2007)
August Heat Fires Up December Opening (December 4, 2007)
Cold Opening Possible For August: Osage County? (November 16, 2007)
Finally, Back To The Table (November 14, 2007)
Add August To The List? (November 14, 2007)
An August Work (October 30, 2007)
Steppenwolf Letts "Juicy" August Move Forward (September 15, 2007)
This October, Letts' "August" Begins On Broadway (August 22, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Pulitzer Pulls Rabbit Out Of Its Hat (April 17, 2007)
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, Chicago, Dennis Letts, Play, Pulitzer Prize, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts
Today's The Day ... Or Maybe NotLater this afternoon, the 2008
Pulitzer Prize winners will be announced, and that
could include a prize for drama. Last year, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to
David Lindsay-Abaire for
Rabbit Hole.The reason why this year's awards
could include a prize for drama is that there is no mandate dictating that the committee must honor a playwright in this category. And since there is no formal announcement of the works being considered until the awards themselves are announced, it's difficult to predict with any real certainty which plays and musicals may actually be under consideration.
Of course, there's a ton of speculation that a little work by
Tracy Letts known as
August: Osage County will not only be one of the finalists, but also be honored as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Stay tuned. We'll know for certain around 3 p.m. EDT today.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:An August Work (October 30, 2007)
August: Osage County (The SOB Review) (August 19, 2007)
Pulitzer Pulls Rabbit Out Of Its Hat (April 17, 2007)
Labels: August Osage County, Broadway, Chicago, Play, Pulitzer Prize, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts
Pulitzer Pulls Rabbit Out Of Its HatDespite not even having been nominated,
David Lindsay-Abaire's
Rabbit Hole was yesterday awarded the
2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Now being produced at regional theatres throughout the United States (as well as abroad),
Rabbit Hole was first presented by the
Manhattan Theatre Club on Broadway from January through April 2006 at the
Biltmore Theatre. While the play was Tony nominated for Best Play, it ultimately lost to
The History Boys, a British work. However, its star
Cynthia Nixon would win the Tony for Best Actress in a Play.
The three plays that
were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize included
A Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes,
Bulrusher by Eisa Davis, and
Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert. Rarely is a non-nominated work ever selected by the Pulitzer committee, but this indeed was one of those years.
I took in
Rabbit Hole when it was playing on Broadway last year. To be honest, I thought it was simply OK. While it was poignant and provided uniformly good performances, I didn’t think it rose to any great heights, nor do I think it deserving of a Pulitzer.
Completely overlooked were two outstanding
musicals (and yes, musicals have previously been awarded the Pulitzer honor):
Grey Gardens and
Spring Awakening. Ironically, the latter features a breathtaking performance by an actor who figured prominently in
Rabbit Hole:
John Gallagher, Jr.
Unfortunately, the Pulitzer committee settled for safe.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Spring Awakening (The SOB Review) (March 3, 2007)
Grey Gardens (The SOB Review) (February 25, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote....for Best Play (June 3, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Cynthia Nixon, Grey Gardens, Musical, Play, Pulitzer Prize, Rabbit Hole, Spring Awakening
